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| Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News |
Unless you have been living under a rock for nearly 30
years, you’ve heard of the television program “American Masters”. “American Masters” airs on PBS and offers
its viewers an in-depth look into the lives of some of America’s most revered
artists and those who have helped to shape our very culture. From the very beginning the show had been
produced by its creator Susan Lacy until April 2014 when PBS announced that
Michael Kantor, of Ghost Light Films, would be taking the reigns. Kantor
promises to bring his own sense of creativity to a show that has already earned
26 Emmy Awards in its 28 Seasons on PBS.
Executive Producer Michael Kantor has produced more than
21 hours of nationally broadcasted television since 2001. He began his production career producing
documentaries with great artists and cultural icons such as Quincy Jones, Steve
Martin and Michael Tilson Thomas. Michael
Kantor isn’t joining the PBS family empty-handed; he’s bringing a Peabody Award
and an Emmy Award of his own to the creative table. A creative marriage between Kantor and PBS
promises to take “American Masters”
to an all-new level. Before taking the
position as the new Executive Producer, Kantor had already done some previous
work for “American Masters” and PBS and WNET the company that produces the
show. Kantor goes on the record as
saying “This is
an amazing opportunity, I can’t imagine a more interesting and creatively
challenging series to work on than American Masters. I’ve been
inspired by the remarkable films and the extraordinary filmmakers that the
series has brought to a broad national audience. I’m honored to carry on
this tradition as we plan for the exciting evolution of the series.” The production company is
elated about the new choice as well “Michael’s fine filmmaking and his history with WNET and
PBS makes him a natural choice for this position,” said WNET President and CEO
Neal Shapiro. “I’m excited about the next chapter for American Masters,
one of the iconic series we produce for PBS, and I look forward to having
Michael on our team.” (Thirteen.org Pressroom)
I can definitely see that all of the years of hard work
that Michael Kantor has put into sharpening his craft in the industry have paid
off. His story gives me hope that I can accomplish
my dreams of becoming an Executive Producer as well. With perseverance and plenty of dedication, I
know that once I get my foot in the door, there’s nowhere else to go but up.
